Women’s Leadership Forum

ABOUT THE WLF

Founded in 2013 after the successful J Street Congressional women’s mission, the WLF provides exciting avenues of engagement for J Street supporters.  While amplifying the work of women peacemakers in the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the Women’s Leadership Forum takes the lead in several other arenas. They:

  • Convene panels at J Street Conferences to explore the role that women and civil society must play in negotiations and peacebuilding
  • Moderate leadership phone calls which go beyond the headlines to engage with grassroots activists in the region
  • Meet with civil society and political leaders in the region and the US
  • Moderate an interactive WLF email discussion group to enable WLF members to discuss current events and learn from and inspire one another
  • Provide chapters with information about the strategic role of women and civil society in peacebuilding and human security issues

PRIMARY AREAS OF FOCUS

  • Supporting efforts to build a sustainable peace in Israel and the Palestinian Territory by uniting women in the US, Israel and abroad committed to women’s inclusion in peacemaking and negotiations and an end to conflict.
  • Strengthening J Street’s outreach to potential women endorsees. Engaging the bipartisan Women’s Congressional Caucus on issues related to women, peace and security to increase our visibility and impact.
  • Highlighting J Street women, both staff and membership within J Street and J Street U, who bring fresh thinking and new ideas to analyzing and resolving the issues around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
  • Expanding the concept of security to include human security, which goes beyond the obvious military concepts such as borders, barriers, soldiers and weapons, and is critical to achieving a sustainable peace. We support the broader vision of “inclusive security”, which encompasses quality of life issues, such as access to clean water and air, healthcare and education, adequate food, a stable economy, jobs, and freedom from racism.
  • Shifting the paradigm toward negotiations that employ the knowledge, skills, thought processes and concerns that women and civil society bring to the table, and encouraging significant participation of women at all levels of negotiations.
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